What Lies Ahead
by thatredheadedchick
Summary: What happens when your greatest enemy becomes your greatest weakness? To Thorin's great displeasure, a She-Elf joins their ranks, but there is more to this young half-elf than meets the eye. This is a Thorin/OFC story. I suck at summaries and I will admit it. Might as well just read it.


Okay, so this is the first story I've done in a very long time. I know I will get quite a bit of hate mail after this, because I have yet to update any of my other stories in… well, going on three years now… -dodges the stones- Sorry!

But, I think I might actually be able to update this one a little more regularly than once a year. I will try and update once a week, but nothing is guaranteed, because I work two jobs and when I am not working, I work to get my house in order and make my hubby-to-be happy. Hurrah for being a grown-up! -gags- Anyways, I read and re-read this b-word several times. I am pretty sure I went cross-eyed a couple times. I am hoping to update with a new chapter today, but again, there are no guarantees. Especially since I don't have my own internet… I hope you all enjoy. Please review, even if you don't like it. I am not saying flame the shit out of it, I am saying I enjoy constructive criticism. I actually enjoy it more than all positive all the time; However, I welcome the happy, positive feedback too.

I will also say that it is going to take a while for there to be any fluff, let alone a full blown relationship, because it seems every time I finally put a relationship together, I decide I am no longer interested in a story and suddenly it gets put on a permanent hiatus. So, if you have any hope for this story to be any good at all, what-so-ever, you will be patient, because the ending results, you shall find, will be worth the wait.

J Later guys!

~Red

Oh! One more thing… Epilogue is short. Very, very short…. It's an Epilogue. It's supposed to be. With a some-what half-assed cliff hanger. The first official chapter shall be a lot longer, I promise. The Epilogue takes place a few days before Gandalf approaches Bilbo for the first time.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing but my OC, or any other unrecognizable, non-cannon in the story.

**Pronunciation Corner:**

Raihiko- pronounced Rie(rhymes with pie)-hih-coe

Rin- pronounced Reen

**Chapter One: Epilogue**

Living with oneself could be a difficult task, depending upon one's skeletons.For a young half-Elf named Raihiko, it was all but welcomed with open arms. Living as an outcast, Raihiko relished in her living apart from her kin… For were they truly her kin at all?

As a mere half-breed, she was barely accepted amongst any race, let alone either of her own. Having the facial traits of the elves, the slightly slanted eyes, the pointed ears and fair complexion, she had been branded untrustworthy by men and hated by the dwarves. The fact that she aged faster than her half-kin, as well as the fact that she had hair the color of fire, eyes reflecting that of a starry midnight sky, and the height of a decent sized dwarf, that made her the black sheep, as it were, to the elves, the race she had grown with, and come to call her own.

Before she had even become of age, she had been on her own. Her mother, a beautiful, full-blooded elf by the name of Rin, had been killed in the fight with some stray orcs years before. She was abandoned by her kin. They turned their backs as soon as her mother's last breath passed her lips.

What could she do? Her mother had never delved the name of her father. All she knew was that the man was of Dwarfish decent. She never spoke of him, nor were there any records of their love. No ring upon her mother's finger, no lock of hair, let alone an article of clothing. The only thing Raihiko had ever had as proof that she had a father at all, was a beautiful necklace that hung around her neck. Her mother had told her quickly in passing that it was a gift from her father, that one day she would give it to her own daughter to wear.

The gem itself was a beautiful shining gold necklace in the shape of a heart. The front of the necklace was lined with small rubies, the middle gem being a beautiful amethyst stone, a tad larger than the others which surrounded it. Apparently her father had put it around her neck when she was just a baby and she hadn't taken it off for even a second since.

In the middle of the forest, not far from the Hidden Valley, sat a quaint little home. It wasn't much; barely one bedroom, but Raihiko fondly called it home. Smoke barreled from the top of the chimney, the scent of a sweet cake of some sort could be smelled all the way from the edge of the clearing where her home lay.

It was quiet today, and she liked it that way. As she sipped on her tea, she sat out in her garden, which she had paid special extra attention to this year.

Suddenly, her superior elf ears picked up on a shuffling in the woods. As she stood, a tall figure clad in gray from the tip of his hat to the toes of his shoes, walked out into her little clearing.

Raihiko smiled widely as she recognized that long white beard from anywhere.

"Gandalf." she greeted as she walked to hug him. "It's been far too long. What brings you my way?" she asked as she pulled back from their greeting embrace.

"To the point, as always. I will get right to it." he said as he pulled the hat from his head, running a hand through his hair as he sat in the chair she had occupied merely moments before.

"Would you care for some tea?" she asked as she walked back into her opened home to pour a cup for herself.

"No, thank you. The reason I am here is because I have an adventure at hand and I feel as though you would be a valuable asset to such a quest as ours." he said as Raihiko returned from her home and sat across from the wizard. Raihiko was a little hesitant at first, not really sure what to think.

"…What kind of quest? Who is the company?" she asked as she sipped lightly at her tea, eyeing the wizard suspiciously.

"The company of Thorin Oakenshield, a company made up of 13 dwarves, one wizard and a burglar, though he doesn't know it yet." that last part he almost mumbled, but it was still audible. "Our quest is to take back Erabor." he said and Raihiko was silent as she let his words sink in.

"Erebor was taken by a dragon, Gandalf, what do you hope to accomplish going against a fire -breathing heathen?" she asked as she set her now empty cup down and looked directly at Gandalf.

"We, that is, I hope to have your help in our quest to take back Erebor, to take back what is rightfully the dwarves." he stated. It was very obvious he was getting rather annoyed with the half she-elf. She sat there, staring at her empty cup as she mulled over what Gandalf was asking of her. She didn't know what to do; what to think. She was at a loss for words. Somehow, moments later, she found her voice.

"I'm sorry, Gandalf. I can't do it. I'm not the elf you are looking for. If you'll excuse me…" she said as she grabbed her cup and saucer (not the finest china, but it was hers) and walked into her house, ignoring the protests from the gray wizard. It was something along the lines of "The stubbornness of dwarves, even that of a half breed".

**Alright guys, let me know what you think… If you think I should pursue this, let me know. If you think I should just drop it, let me know that, too. I hope you liked my epilogue. The first real chapter should be up soon enough. ****J**

**~Red**


End file.
